No-Limit Texas Holdem Strategy and Tips

More fun & productivity with

HOME | Signup FREE | Submit Articles | | Blog

Home | Recreation And Leisure | Entertainment | Games

No-Limit Texas Holdem Strategy and Tips - By: Mathew Petrenko, Posted on: 2007-12-30

Basic No-Limit Texas Holdem strategy

The greatest differences between Limit and No-Limit Texas Holdem relies in player position and value of hands. A player's position is much more important in No-Limit Texas Holdem, because all decisions of players have great influence upon their stacks. In No-Limit Texas Holdem your goal is to trap one of your opponents with help of position, thus winning your opponent's entire stack, which can be compared to a similar trick in Limit Texas Holdem, where you collect a couple of extra bets from your opponents.

At the same time you must pay attention to the fact that hand values in two variants of the game have some slight differences. For example, in No-Limit Texas Holdem Poker the value of some big connectors such as Ace and King, Ace and Queen, King and Queen is decreased, because it is more likely that you shall win smaller pots and lose bigger pots with the given hands. Also note that in No-Limit Texas Holdem the value of all kinds of pairs is increased, because a player is able to double through his opponents, if lucky to hit a set. The value of high pairs such as Ace and Ace, King and King is also increased for the same reason – a player holding a high pair is presented with an opportunity to trap one of his opponents for entire stack.

Don't forget that in No-Limit Texas Holdem your second important goal is to keep track of your bankroll and your opponents' funds as well. The difference is stack size can seriously affect the play – see the examples below:

• The first player has $1000, the second player has $50 and the blind bets are $4/$8. The first player is in the Big Blind position and his opponent is in the first position. The first player has J-Ts and his opponent moves all-in from the first position. The rest of players at the table fold.

That would be clearly a risky situation, in which the first player has to fold, since he is almost surely risking an additional $42 in order to challenge a $50 pot, which is not a profitable kind of play. In case if the second player also has $1,000, then the first player may consider a call, because he has a chance of winning $1,000 by risking just another $42. In the event of such a situation, you must make a decision whether to call your opponent or not depending on how well he plays after the flop.

• Another situation, where you must consider your opponent's bankroll is when you are sitting in early position and acting against a player sitting in late position. Say you have $2,000, your opponent also has $2,000, the blind bets are $4/$8 and you hold Queen and Queen making it $40 to go. In case if your opponent, acting behind you, moves all-in with his entire $2,000, then you should fold, unless you are sure that he doesn't have higher pairs – Ace and Ace or King and King. However, if your opponent has just $120 and goes all-in in the same situation, you may consider calling him, hoping that your opponent doesn't has either Ace and Ace or King and King.

Valuable tips for No-Limit Texas Holdem Poker

Play just good starting hands . You mustn't play too much hands in a standard $2/$4, $3/$6 and $4/$8 No-Limit Texas Holdem games. That means that you must fold A-J in early position, K-T in middle position and Q-T in late position.

Select a right table . Avoid playing games, where you don't have an edge. Find a table with at least two or three weak players. For this reason, it is recommended to sit out a couple of games and watch the play, which will help you determine whether you can compete with your potential opponents.

Evaluate your opponents . Again, it is better to sit out a couple of games and take notes of your potential opponents, before you actually join the game. Spot tight and loose players, see what hands come to the showdown and who tries to bluff. Each of your notes will be a great help during the game.

Make reasonable decisions . Don't make stupid calls, bets and raises. Each of your decision must be supported with a good reason. Fold, if your chances are average or low, bet and raise if the odds are with you.

Don't underestimate strong players . Respect huge bets and raises, especially those, made on the turn and river, as players rarely bluff during these betting rounds.

Fundamental Preflop Strategy

The majority of time you should raise and re-raise holding top pairs , such as Ace and Ace, King and King, Queen and Queen and top connectors, such as Ace and King, suited Ace and Queen, suited King and Queen. This will force low pairs and low connectors pay to see the flop against you. Note that in this case your opponents will often be able to double-up on you, if they hit some good hand, but however, the majority of novice players don't realize this opportunity frequently folding preflop.

Stick to the strongest hands . You will pay dearly to chase with second best hands in No-Limit Texas Holdem games.

Try to keep the majority of raises down to between 70% and 100% by making it three x the big blind to go typically equals a 80% pot bet, thus saving money when you're re-raised or called by stronger opponents. In case if there are limpers in front of you, then raise to about four-six x the size of the big blind.

Don't underestimate tight and strong players . Don't risk your funds, if a tight player raises in front of you. It is always better to fold if you aren't sure of your hand and there were significant bets or raises before you.

Tend to call and see the flop with any good starting hands, if there are more than 50% of weak players at the table.

Common No-Limit Texas Holdem Mistakes

• Calling with weak hands, when facing a bet

• Failing to release a decent hand, when beat, thus losing the entire stack on one hand

• Playing poor starting hands

• Passive play at the preflop with premium hands (allowing drawing hands to see the flop and thus giving them a chance to beat you during next betting rounds)

• Under-betting or over-betting the pot, thus risking to win a small or not protecting hand

Try to understand and practice each of the given tips in cheap $2/$4 No-Limit Texas Holdem games and don't put too much pressure upon your bankroll, before you feel ready to challenge tighter games.

Article Source: http://www.girlarticles.com

This article is provided by RoomReview.net - Online Texas Holdem guide, exclusive and credible information for online Texas Holdem poker players.